BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) - The Latest on the trial of Georgia man accused of leaving his toddler to die in a hot car (all times local):
5:35 p.m.
A jury has been sent home for the evening without beginning its deliberations in the murder trial of a Georgia man whose toddler son died after being left in a hot car.
Attorneys gave their closing arguments Monday in the trial of Justin Ross Harris, who is charged in the June 2014 death of his 22-month-old son, Cooper.
Cobb County Superior Court Judge Mary Staley Clark sent the jurors home Monday evening after giving them legal instructions. The jury was to return Tuesday morning to start deliberating.
Because Tuesday is Election Day, the judge plans to adjourn court at noon so jurors have the afternoon to vote.
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12:45 p.m.
The defense attorney for a Georgia man charged with murder after leaving his toddler in a hot car is asking a jury to find the boy’s death an accident, not a crime.
Jurors are hearing closing arguments Monday in the trial of Justin Ross Harris. His 22-month-old son, Cooper, died in June 2014 after Harris drove to work without dropping off the child at daycare. The child was left in the back seat for hours.
Defense attorney Maddox Kilgore told the jury Harris had nothing to gain by killing his son. He accused prosecutors and police of presenting a misleading case designed to make Harris look more suspicious than he really was.
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10:25 a.m.
A jury is hearing attorneys’ closing arguments in the trial of a Georgia man charged with murder after his toddler son died in the back of a hot car.
Prosecutor Chuck Boring told jurors Monday morning that Justin Ross Harris intentionally left his 22-month-old son, Cooper, to “suffer an unimaginable, horrible death” in June 2014. He said Harris, who was seeking sexual affairs with other women online, “loved himself and his obsession more than that little boy.”
Harris defense attorneys were to present their closing argument later Monday. They insist the child’s death was a tragic accident.
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The trial of a Georgia man charged with murder after his toddler son died in a hot car is coming to an end.
Jurors are scheduled to hear closing arguments Monday from prosecutors and defense attorneys in the trial of Justin Ross Harris. He’s charged with malice murder and other crimes in the June 2014 death of his 22-month-old son, Cooper.
The jury has heard testimony from dozens of witnesses since the trial began more than a month ago. Prosecutors say Harris left his son to die intentionally because he wanted to escape his family responsibilities while pursuing sexual affairs outside his marriage.
Harris’ attorneys say the 35-year-old web developer, who moved to Georgia from Alabama in 2012, loved his son and the death was a tragic accident.
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